Chaos Will Be Sown In Their Passing
by Sol-leks1
Summary: Rated for graphic violence, gore, and character deaths. Someone's after Ranma. Only this time, they're competent. And they don't give a damn who gets hurt in the process...
1. Default Chapter

**Chaos Will Be Sown In Their Passing**

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own Ranma ½. Since I plan to have Inuyasha show up, I will say in advance that I do not own that series either. Certain concepts/ideas/etc. were borrowed from other sources—I can't say more without ruining the fic—and I do not own those. Basically, if you recognize it, assume it belongs to someone else. Oh, and I should warn you, this is no Disney movie. It's not warm and fuzzy. Quite the contrary, it's dark and gory. If that ain't your cup of sake, I suggest you leave. Like, right now.

_Chapter One:_

Normally, a seven foot, muscle-bound stranger covered completely in a hooded black cloak, with a claymore strapped across his back would draw stares anywhere he went. Normally.

This was Nerima—the farthest from normal it was physically possible to get.

No one spared him a second glance. A substantial minority never even looked at all.

"Come here!" he thundered at a random passerby. Apparently, he was a longtime resident of this particular ward of Tokyo, as he walked over to the stranger without a second thought.

"What do you need?" he asked cheerfully.

"Directions," the stranger replied. "To the Tendo residence."

"Oh, that's easy!" the bystander replied.

No one could see it, but the stranger was smiling.

The giant paused at the door of the house he sought. Slowly, deliberately, he drew the bloodstained claymore from his back. His other hand undid the clasp of his cloak. It slid to the ground, revealing the demon-styled armor beneath. His face was concealed behind a horned helm that resembled a large, toothy maw, and a pair of clawed gauntlets adorned his hands.

He flexed an arm, feeling his muscles testing the bonds of the well-worn full plate. Perfect.

He grabbed hold of the door handle, and with the slightest exertion of strength, ripped it clean off its hinges. He hurled it into the street behind him, where it shattered against the side of a passing car, and marched into the Tendo residence.

Kasumi, hearing the sound, looked up just in time to receive a fist between the eyes. The armored man threw the unconscious woman over his shoulder and marched into the dining room without missing a beat.

Seeing him, Soun leapt to his feet, even as Genma, Nabiki, and yes, even Akane lurched backwards.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the Tendo patriarch. In reply, the stranger grabbed him about the neck with one hand and lifted him into the air.

Soun's response was the measured retaliation of a master of Anything Goes Martial Arts: "Please don't hurt me! Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease..."

The armored fiend dug his claws into Soun's neck, eliciting instant silence.

"One question, old man," he snarled. "Where. Is. Ranma?"

All Soun could do was shrug. The stranger threw him against the wall with a snarl of rage. Ignoring the sickening crack of breaking bones, he turned on Akane.

"You know!" he barked. It wasn't a question.

Her throat was too dry to answer one way or another. The fact of the matter was that she had sent him on an Air Akane™ flight not quite half an hour ago. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn't have directed the man to Ranma.

The armored stranger growled impatiently, but composed himself. He dumped Kasumi unceremoniously to the ground, and placed his sword against her neck. "I can wait," he informed Akane. "But I don't think she can."

Rage gave Akane her voice. "Leave her alone!" she yelled. Their unknown malefactor simply laughed.

"Or what? You'll hit me with your little mallet? I'm quaking in my boots, I assure you." He tightened his grip on the hilt of the claymore. "I'll only ask one more time: Where. Is. Ranma?"

"I don't know!" Akane snarled.

"Wrong answer." With one clean swipe, Kasumi's head was separated from her body.

Akane rushed forward, but the armored man held out one hand and pushed her onto her back.

"Care to revise your answer?" he asked.

"I don't know," she repeated. "I swear, I don't know."

"Then I have no use for you," he said. The claymore reared back...

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Ranma stood in the doorway, an open wound on his left shoulder.

"I see you've already met one of my associates," the stranger chuckled. "Rest assured, I won't be so easily dispatched." Hefting his two-handed sword, he charged his pigtailed prey with a roar that would have caused any normal man to cower in fear.

Ranma Saotome was not a normal man in any sense of the word. (Heck, half the time, he couldn't technically be called a 'man' at all.) And to make matters worse for the armored fiend, Ranma had seen him trying to kill Akane.

Harming Akane in Ranma's sight was roughly as intelligent as stripping naked and hurling yourself off the Eiffel Tower.

Ranma side-stepped the sword's deadly arc, and dislocated his enemy's shoulder with one punch. The claymore clattered to the ground.

But the barbarian did have one advantage: brute strength. Grabbing Ranma by his wounded shoulder, he hurled the boy into the wall..

"You should feel honored, boy," he said. "You'll be the first to go."

Before he could make good on that strange threat, Genma threw himself forward, tackling the man to the ground.

"Run, Ranma!" he commanded. "Get out of—" He was cut off as the armored fiend snapped his neck.

And then Ranma flew forward, fists flying like pistons. Logically, the man's full plate armor should have protected him from an unarmed strike.

Logic had never made a habit of applying to Ranma Saotome.

When the bloodlust cooled, Ranma found he had literally torn his foe apart. Very calmly, he walked up to his room and packed his belongings.

When he was finished, he leapt out his window, and ran.

A/N: Most anticipated reaction: Oh my god! You killed Kasumi! You bastard!

Least Anticipated Reaction: Oh my god! You killed Genma! You bastard!

As I warned you, it's gory, though it may get a bit less so. Don't worry, there will be Ranma/Akane and all that good stuff. Apologies for the death of Kasumi/Soun/Genma. So, uh, review. And stuff.

TrueLove: (My beta reader) By the way, buddy?

Author: Yes?

TrueLove: Get a bomb shelter. evil grin

Author: AHHHHHHH! Runs like hell


	2. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: _**I do not own Ranma ½. Since I plan to have Inuyasha show up, I will say in advance that I do not own that series either. Certain concepts/ideas/etc. were borrowed from other sources—I can't say more without ruining the fic—and I do not own those. Basically, if you recognize it, assume it belongs to someone else.

_Chapter Two:_

He didn't stop running until he had reached the outskirts of Nerima. One final time, he looked back at the 'city' that had been his home for so long. But now, he had to leave it behind, as he had left so many homes in the past.

"Goodbye," he muttered into the wind. There was no going back. Someone wanted him dead—more so than usual, that is. And as long as he was in Nerima, everyone he knew was in danger.

Shouldering his pack, he turned away. No sense in prolonging things. He had to leaveâ€and there was no time like the present. But before he could take another step, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Ranma! Wait!"

"No, Akane," Ranma said, not turning around. He couldn't look at her. He was afraid that, if he did, he'd lose his nerve. "Go back home. Forget about me. It's better this way."

"Better for who?" Akane demanded.

"For you, of course. They're after me, not you."

"They've always been after you, Ranma."

"This isn't Ryoga!" he growled, whipping around to face her. "This isn't about some moron with a grudge! That was a professional assassin! And he wasn't the first." Ranma opened his shirt and showed her the gash on his shoulder, even now scabbing over. "See this? Here's the story to go with it: I'm coming home from my flight, when some stranger takes a potshot at me from the roof. I knock him off, but he manages to put a knife through my shoulder before I take him down. All I get out of him before he takes a suicide pill is that he was hired to kill me. I don't know why, but someone wants me dead, and they're willing to do anything to make sure it happens. So do yourself a favor, and forget you ever heard my name."

Akane slapped him.

"Don't you _dare _try to tell me the situation, Ranma Saotome. I _know_ what's going on. In case you weren't paying attention, my father and sister were just murdered over...over whatever the hells this is. And you know what? You're not making anyone safer by leaving!"

"What do ya mean?"

"I mean, that bastard was at our house because he _didn't _know where to find you."

"You think I haven't thought of that?" Ranma shot back. "I'll make myself conspicuous. The whole point is to draw them away from Nerima—whoever the fuck they are."

"I understand that you have to leave" she began calmly.

"Good," Ranma interrupted. He turned on his heel and began to walk away—only to stop short, hearing the crunch of twigs behind him.

"What are you doing?" he demanded. Akane crossed her arms, and glared witheringly at him.

"Coming with you."

"Were you listening to a word I said?" Ranma snapped. "Can't you see I'm trying to get you _out _of danger here?"

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much. Besides, I don't think there's a safer place in the world than close to you."

"I'm not staying, and you're not going," he said with finality.

"Let me make it simple for you," Akane replied, in a tone that brooked no argument. "I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not. And there is _nothing _you can say or do that will stop me."

Unstoppable force met immovable object. Force was knocked flat.

"All right, fine!" Ranma said, throwing up his hands. "But _I'm_ doing the cooking."

They hiked for hours on end through the mountains. Ranma was clearly determined to put as much distance between himself and Nerima as was possible in a single day.

It had to be almost midnight when they came across the mountain clearing. Glancing behind him, Ranma realized how far behind him Akane had fallen. They had started out almost shoulder to shoulder, but now she lagged by several feet.

"This seems like a good place to set up camp," he told her, dropping his pack.

"Thanks," she replied. Ranma shrugged.

"Who says I'm doin' it for you, tomboy?" he lied, pulling his sleeping bag from his pack.

"Oops." Ranma looked up, confused.

"Whadda ya mean 'oops? Didja forget to bring a sleeping bag or something?" he joked.

Akane nodded.

"Great, just great," Ranma growled, slapping his forehead. "All right, you'll just have to use mine."

"_What_?"

"Use mine," he reiterated, tossing the bag over to her. "I've been on the road more than you; I can handle sleeping on the ground." He plopped down under a tree, laying an arm over his eyes.

Akane blinked. "Oh," she said. She gave herself a hard mental slap. Of _course_ that was what Ranma meant! Yeesh, it was like _she _was the hentai here.

"Look, Ranma, I'm not going to just take" she began—but she was interrupted by a loud snore. Rolling her eyes, she threw the sleeping bag down beside him and crawled in.

_His steps echoed back to him from the darkness as the fog twisted around him like a constrictor snake squeezing the life from its prey. Chills ran up and down his spine like a marching band on parade; he held his arms closer to his body in an attempt to ward off the cold. In the distance came the constant sound of a shovel striking against the icy ground._

_"Hello?" he called. "Anybody there? Where am I?" Only his echo answered him._

_An object loomed out of the fog; it tripped him up and sent him sprawling onto his back._

_It was a gravestone he had stumbled over. And he now found himself staring straight up at a hangman's tree and the lifeless bodies of Soun, Kasumi, and Genma._

_Kasumi's eyes opened, and she glared straight back at him._

_"You killed us," she accused._

_"No! Please, I swear, I never meantâ€I never wanted" The ropes snapped; the three bodies fell to the ground and lurched towards him._

_"You killed us!" they snarled in unison. He ran._

_And nearly fell into an open grave. The sound of the shovel stopped as the gravedigger turned to look at him._

_"Gosunkugi?" The pale Goth grinned toothily and pulled himself out of the hole._

_"Hello," he hissed._

_"Who...whose grave is it?"_

_"It's yours." Gosunkugi swung his shovel; it connected with his skull. Ranma pitched forward, and fell into the abyss._

_And fell. And fell._

_And now all around him there was fire, and demons reaching forth to grab and claw at him, and still he fell..._

Ranma awoke in a cold sweat. The first thing he noticed was that, in the midst of his tossing and turning, he had thrown an arm over Akane—a situation he instinctively rectified the instant he became aware of it. The second thing he noticed was that Ryoga was currently standing over him, fuming.

"Uh...hey, Ryoga" Ranma muttered, punctuating the remark with a yawn. The Eternally Lost Boy glowered at him.

"How dare you defile Akane like that?" he demanded.

"Whatcha talkin' 'bout, porkbutt?" Ranma asked. "I just had an arm—yawn—around her"

"I'll make you PAY!" Ryoga declared, brandishing his battle umbrella.

"Look, P-chan, it's—it's—umm" Ranma checked his watch, but couldn't make out the time. "It's very early in the morning, and I'm really not in the mood" Ryoga ignored him.

"DIE RANMA!" he bellowed, charging forward in a bull rush.

The charge was cut drastically short as a mallet impacted with his head. Despite his thick skull, Ryoga came crashing to the ground, wondering why miniature versions of his cursed form were dancing around his head.

"Nice shot, tomboy," Ranma complimented. "Remind me not to stand close to ya if I ever need to wake ya up."

"Thanks," Akane replied, rubbing her eyes. "So, uh, what do we do with him?"

"Dunno," Ranma admitted. "Wait for him to wake up and try to talk some sense into him?"

"How likely is that?" Akane asked, arching an eyebrow.

"More likely than Kuno suddenly deciding he likes guys, at any rate. But only slightly."

"Oh." A pause. "How would he react if we tied him up? Assuming we have rope, that is."

"Break the ropes and go on a rampage. Of course, we don't have rope anyway, so, it's a moot point."

"I see," she replied. "What's that leave us with?"

"Not much," he said. "Except maybe punting him into the horizon. And, uh, to be honest, I don't particularly wanna do that."

"Do what?" asked a groggy Ryoga. Both of them jumped.

"Uh, listen, Ryoga," said Ranma when he had recollected his wits. "I'm sorry about whatever the heck I did to make ya mad this time. Could we, uh, say, talk?"

"Talk? _Talk? _You think a mere _apology_ can make up for the wrongs you've done?" the Lost Boy bellowed. Apparently, his skull was thicker than either have them had imagined. "DIE!!!" This time, the fanged martial artist moved faster than Akane's mallet. His fist lashed out, striking Ranma's shoulder. His _wounded _shoulder.

Ranma collapsed to the ground, clutching his shoulder and screaming in pain. At about the same time, the mallet connected with Ryoga's chin, hurling him backwards through a tree. Literally.

"How _dare_ you!" she roared. "You call yourself a martial artist, and you hit a wounded man? Youâ€you" Akane paused, apparently looking for a strong enough pejorative.

"I think 'swine' would be appropriate," Ranma growled through gritted teeth. "Wanna pour lemon juice on it while you're at it, porkbutt?"

Ryoga scurried desperately away from the advancing Akane, a single thought replaying in his mind: _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. _

"I'm sorry!" he wailed.

"'You think a mere _apology _can make up for the wrongs you've done?'" Akane parroted.

"I didn't know!" Ryoga begged.

"And I didn't know I knocked you into the Spring of Drowned Pig, but you've been after me for that!" Ranma retorted; a second later, he slapped himself on the forehead.

Akane stopped in her tracks, and certain rusty gears in her head started turning. ((A/N: In no way is this intended as Akane bash. I'm not saying she doesn't think, but there are certain subjects that are, shall we say, closed books to her.)) Silently, she picked up a canteen, and hurled a portion of the contents at Ryoga. Instantly, a bedraggled black piglet sat in his place.

The youngest Tendo daughter picked up P-chan, and spoke with supreme calm. Not the calm of a peaceful summer day with birds chirping in the background, oh no. Rather it was the calm before the storm—or perhaps the eye of the hurricane.

"Hello, 'P-chan.'" The piglet whimpered. "Oh, don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Much. I've got a better idea of what to do with you."

Ranma and Ryoga experienced a joint shudder.

"You, Ryoga Hibiki, have just attacked a wounded man without provocation. I think you owe him a debt of honor on a massive scale. The way I see it, your only option besides seppuku would be to swear to be his bodyguard." The piglet nodded vigorously, trying not to think of katanas, tantos, and guts spilling out of the chest. Akane grinned, a frosty smile that would have given Nabiki a run for her money. "I thought so. You'll be taking watch the rest of the night then. Oh, and Ryoga? If I _ever_ catch you in my bed again, I won't be so generous." She tossed her former pet onto the ground and stalked back to the sleeping bag.

Ranma set about boiling some water to change Ryoga back.


End file.
